Abstract:To keep white mullet fish in a red color during cold storage, the effect of carbon monoxide (CO) treatment on the color and other qualities of white mullet meat was discussed preliminarily. By analyzing the effects of CO treatment on the color, total bacterial colonies, pH, water loss rate, texture profiles, TBA and sensory quality of the white mullet fish, it was found that with the increasing time of CO treatment, the a * value of the white mullet fish increased significantly (p<0.05) at first and then decreased. The a* value of white mullet fish meat stored for 13d was 8.66, and 18.79% higher than that of fresh white mullet fish. When the time of CO treatment increased, the total number of bacteria, water loss rate and TBA value increased as a whole, while the pH value decreased first and then increased, the hardness, chewiness and sensory score decreased as a whole. Therefore, CO treatment can make the white mullet fish to be kept in good red color during cold storage, but it has no obvious influence on the storage stability and other quality of the white mullet fish during cold storage. Therefore, using CO to treat the white mullet fish can maintain the red color of the white mullet fish.